Currently a Lok Sabha MP fromThiruvananthapuram constituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Dr. Sashi Tharoor is an author, politician, and former international civil servant. During his nearly three-decade long prior career at the United Nations, he served as a peacekeeper, refugee worker, and administrator at the highest levels, serving as Under-Secretary General during Kofi Annan’s leadership of the organisation. India’s most-followed politician on Twitter, Dr. Tharoor straddles several worlds of experience.
Born in London in 1956, Dr. Tharoor was educated in India and the United States, completing a PhD in 1978 at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is also a recipient of several awards that include a Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and in 2012 the King of Spain awarded him the Encomienda de la Real Order Espanola de Carlos III.
Following his long career at the United Nations, which included key responsibilities in peace-keeping after the Cold War and serving as senior adviser to the Secretary-General, in addition to his role as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Dr. Tharoor returned to India and was elected to Parliament in 2009. He was vocal in many of the important debates of the 15th Lok Sabha in India, and in his current second term sits in the Opposition benches, also serving as the Chairman of the Standing Committee on External Affairs and a member of the Standing Committee on Rules.
Dr. Tharoor, fluent in English, French as well as in Malayalam and Hindi is the author of hundreds of articles, op-eds, and book reviews in a wide range of publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, TIME, Newsweek, and The Times of India.
His first non-fiction book, Reasons of State (1981) is a study of Indian foreign-policy making, while his India: From Midnight to the Millennium (1997) is an acclaimed analysis of contemporary India, cited by President Clinton in his address to the Indian Parliament. Kerala: God's Own Country (2002) was a collaboration with the artist MF Hussain, dedicated to his home state while Nehru: The Invention of India (2003) is a biography of Pandit Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, and an exposition on his intellectual outlook and vision. Bookless in Baghdad (2005) is a collection of literary essays while The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cellphone (2007) compiles essays about contemporary Indian politics, society, and culture.
His three novels are the classic The Great Indian Novel (1989), which is required reading in several courses on post-colonial literature and whose Silver Jubilee Edition, after 43 reprints in India, was out in September 2014; Riot (2001) a searing examination of Hindu-Muslim violence in contemporary India; and Show Business (1992), which received a front-page accolade in the New York Times Book Review and has since been made into a motion picture, Bollywood. Many of Dr. Tharoor's books have also been translated into French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, as well as Bengali, Malayalam and Marathi.
A prominent human rights advocate, Dr. Tharoor was appointed an International Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva for the period 2008-2011. He was also a Fellow of the New York Institute of the Humanities and the Patron of the Dubai Modern School, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Hague Institute for International Justice.
Dr. Tharoor's late wife, Sunanda P Tharoor, a businesswoman and philanthropist, passed away in January 2014.
In an exclusive interview with Bahrain This Week,Dr. Tharoor was asked why he uses rarely used words and terms in his speeches and books. Is it a way to attract your readers to the world words?
He said “There are various levels to answer that! The entire purpose of the communication is to understand. If you speak in words that no one understands, there is no point. I do really try to speak with clarity and precision, so that people understand what I am saying. Having said that there are people who don’t understand words said with clarity and precision. So, what I consider clearly emphasize may be a difficult word for someone else. So, the first basic point is that I use the most accurate word to communicate a particular idea precisely. Another level of answer is that when I deliberately use the so called unusual and complicated words, it is for fun than anything else. When I choose to say my newly released Indian book “The Paradoxical Prime Minister” is more than 500 pages of word exercise, but “floccinaucinihilipilification”, immediately the word got notified and through that word, my book got more publicity than it would have otherwise got. That’s the sort of words I would use for fun. I would say that I don’t particularly relish the young children being forced by their parents to learn these words by heart so that they can come up and tell it to me whenever we meet and take a video of that. That is more like a party trick! Far more important is to have a real curiosity, real knowledge and real reading. When you read, your vocabulary automatically increases, and you understand the same word in four different contexts. The person who reads more books in a year will have more vocabulary than a person who reads one book. I would encourage people to read more books than studying more words.
Looking for the perfect foodie spot when you visit London? bbcgoodfood.com lists out the capital's best cafés, pubs and restaurants for you
Cora Pearl, Covent Garden
Pesto, butternut squash and goat’s curd on plate Cora Pearl, a small, buzzing Covent Garden restaurant, has a menu that is reassuringly comforting. Everything sounds familiar – confit potatoes are listed simply as chips, modestly downplaying the kitchen’s skills. The menu also consists of dishes such as leek terrine, fish stew, pork and onions and a seasonal trifle that are perfect for two. Must try confit potato chips.
Padella, Borough Market
If you want to eat at Borough Market but perching on a kerb balancing a Scotch egg on your knee isn’t your style, Padella offers a foodie haven. This casual, no-reservations pasta specialist from the team behind Highbury’s Trullo has near-permanent queues thanks to much-Instagrammed dishes like pici cacio e pepe and pappardelle with eight-hour ragu. The small menu offers around six pasta dishes, plus excellent starters and desserts. Their speedy cooking method is the lynchpin of the whole magical operation: peer over the open counter to study the kitchen team ‘saucepanning’ the pasta to unctuous oblivion and those queues start to make a whole lot of sense.
Evelyn’s Table, Chinatown
The Blue Post exterior ‘Simple made splendid’ could be the tag for this tiny restaurant in London’s Chinatown. Tucked beneath the pub floor of The Blue Posts in London’s Chinatown is teeny, tiny Evelyn’s Table with all of 15 seats mostly arranged around a bar. The beef tartare with toast is stupendous. Pasta is made daily at 3pm and the fish from Looe market is shown to you in all its perky freshness before it is cooked. Order cocktails from the Mulwray two floors above to kick off with and if tarte Tatin is on the dessert menu, choose that – it’s a leader in its field.
Rochelle Canteen, St James’s
Rochelle Canteen at the ICA, London, is Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold’s second restaurant. Like the gallery, it’s a light, airy space with window seats overlooking the Mall. The food is deceptively simple, packed with flavours that show the skill of cooking and the pedigree of ingredients. Starters include dishes such as grilled sardines, fennel & marjoram and girolles & fried egg on toast. Rabbit often features: in pies, braised and served with borlotti beans or as here – fried to crispness on the outside and meltingly tender within. The desserts, meanwhile, are sublime.
Magpie, Mayfair
Magpie will not be for everyone. An industrial-style fit-out, potent cocktails and central location (off Regent Street) make for a clattery, occasionally chaotic, atmosphere. There’s no arguing with the food though. Co-owners Sam Herlihy and James Ramsden have created an intriguing menu of feel-good dishes with clever twists, such as squid with spicy calabrian sausage, grilled turnip & mussel sauce and steak tartare with taleggio and truffle crisps. Many dishes feature ambitious ingredients such as kombu (seaweed), umeboshi (pickled plums), gjetost (cheese) – eating here is an education.
London Grind, London Bridge
This sleek industrial restaurant is ideally located to serve both the city and visitors to nearby Borough Market with a concise menu made up of dishes that suit all day eating (arrive before 12 if you want breakfast). Small plates include chorizo and smoked cheese croquettes, while mains straddle the brunch-lunch gap with dishes such as sweet potato harissa cakes, and there’s flat iron chicken with baby potatoes, a mean burger, or steak with Béarnaise, if you prefer. The coffee at London Grind is excellent, as it should be from a business built on flat whites. If it’s drink o’clock, one of the three house cocktails built around coffee are a must order – especially the old fashioned.
The Foreigners
Debu got off the bus at Police Bazar. It was Shillong’s high street— home to many of its iconic shopping destinations like Lila Brothers, Radharani Stores and Ratna’s Mascot. It was early evening and the place was bustling with office-goers finishing the day’s shopping on their way back home.
Police Bazar had always been too noisy and crowded for Debu’s liking. But today it seemed like a haven of peace. He felt grateful for the warm, safe embrace of the hordes of people thronging about him. He stopped for a breather and treated himself to a rupee’s worth of chana masala. It helped him calm down and, after a while, he felt that his legs were steady enough to walk back home.
Home was a wattle and daub Assam-type cottage with a red tin roof and a small garden on Upper Jail Road—a residential colony that had sprung up around the high walls of the Shillong prison. Once in a while, a police van would arrive at the gates of the prison and deliver its consignment of sullen-faced convicts, hands tied behind their backs. Debu would watch with a fearful fascination as they disembarked from the van and slouched to their new lodgings at the far end of the prison grounds.
When he was about eight years old, Debu used to have a recurring nightmare. He would dream of the prisoners breaking out of jail and sneaking into his bedroom in the dead of night. Grinning evilly at each other, they would pounce on him and swiftly bundle him inside a thick blanket that muffled his cries. They would then spirit him away to some nameless place, where they would commence to torture him in a variety of unspeakable and embarrassing ways. Why me, why me, what have I done?—he would yell in his dream. But he would never get to know the answer, for he would always wake up at that point, quaking in fright. It was a fear that gnawed at him for weeks on end, until one day, his father came to know of it.
Debu’s father sat him down for a man-to-man chat. There is nothing to be scared of, he assured Debu. Jail Road prison is the second-most secure prison in the whole world. Which is the first? Debu asked. Alcatraz, his father whispered into his ear, in a voice filled with dread. It was a most terrible prison where only the most blood-thirsty and dangerous criminals were sent. It was located on a desolate island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean—and no one had ever escaped from it alive. The few who had tried had been shot or drowned, or eaten alive by sharks.
Jail Road prison was equally secure, his father went on. Of course, it was not surrounded by an ocean or patrolled by man-eating sharks. But no one in living memory had ever escaped from it. And even if someone did (which they never would), his father said nonchalantly, there was nothing to worry about. Why not? Debu asked. Because, his father replied, the police were very clever. Much cleverer than the chors. That is why they had built Police Bazar right next to Jail Road. Every inch of the locality was bristling with policemen. But most of them were plainclothesmen, which is why no one noticed them. Any prisoner foolish enough to attempt a getaway would be caught at once and thrown right back in. We are lucky to have so many policemen here in Jail Road to protect us, his father said. It is the safest place in the whole world— after Alacatraz.
That was one of the things that Debu really liked about his father—the way he could make his fears go away with a simple chat. So, when he arrived home that evening, it was very comforting to see his father seated in his usual chair on the verandah, sipping on his tea and puffing at a cigarette.
‘How come you are home so early today?’ Debu asked. ‘Business is bad,’ his father shrugged. ‘The farmers are all busy at the Shad Suk Mynsiem dance festival. No point in keeping the shop open.’ Debu’s father, Mr Dutta, owned a small pharmacy in Iewheh, which in Khasi meant big market. True to its name, it was the biggest market in Shillong, much bigger and far more rustic than its urbane cousin, Police Bazar. Farmers from the nearby villages came here to sell their produce—vegetables, poultry, beef and pork. They were simple, hardworking folks, largely untouched by the complexities of urban life. They would often drop into Mr Dutta’s shop for a quick chat over a kwai.
The farmers were pleasant company but poor customers. They were blessed with robust health and hardly ever fell ill. And even when they did, they needed a fraction of the medicines that a city dweller might need to get well. It wasn’t easy running a medicine shop in Iewheh, and Mr Dutta had to work hard to make a living. He did not earn a great deal but was happy to make enough to take care of his small family.
Summer is upon us and with it the general elections! With 900 million eligible voters across the country, this is the largest election ever seen in the world and though some observers have billed the vote as the most important in recent times, the mood of the nation says BJP faces challenges from strong regional parties and a resurgent Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi.
The next big question, after the elections are over is, Can India win the ICC World Cup 2019 under Kohli's captaincy? And that is why we have Virat Kohli on the cover. Speaking about Virat’s maturing as a cricketer and that India has a great combination of youth and experience, we are hopeful. The combination of Dhoni and Kohli have done extremely well for India. Both of them are unmatchable. India are one of the giants of white-ball cricket. There is no doubt that Virat Kohli-led India will give it all to win their third title. In this edition of the World Cup, Virat enters the tournament as the best batsman. He has been an enigmatic leader for India ever since taking over ODI captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2016. His batting has flourished along with captaincy and so have his performances in coloured clothing. I am hopeful for India being a strong contender to lift the trophy as Kohli’s presence makes India a powerful team in this edition.
The Platform section deals with India’s Nuclear Security Preparedness. We discuss in detail how India has adopted very robust security measures to protect its nuclear facilities and materials from terrorist and anti-national elements who are waiting in the wings for a freak chance of callousness and negligence on part of the organisations and security agencies securing the nuclear assets.
With urbanisation coming into forefront, there is a greater need to look into the connectedness between humans and environment. Gurugram city which has grown appropriating resource from its periphery, is a case in hand. Our Environment sections discusses this and reveals how today 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050.
Last but not he least, at MBD Group, hospitality is not about serving but also treating guests with elegance and excellence. Driven by the vision of the founder, Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra, MBD Group announces the launch of The Chocolate Box and Lounge at Ludhiana’s landmark shopping destination, MBD Neopolis Ludhiana. Do catch up, if you are in the city.
Come elections or the World Cup we have every reason to celebrate India! One team, one dream. C’mon India!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP is headed for a victory bigger than in 2014 - a 300-plus figure the BJP reached as a single largest party. The BJP kept its core states — the Hindi heartland, Gujarat and Maharashtra — while posting fresh victories in Bengal, Odisha and the northeast. It also scored a huge win in Karnataka - a state the Congress rules jointly with HD Kumaraswamy. “Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat,” PM Modi tweeted. Rahul Gandhi congratulated the Prime Minister and said “We report the people”. Elections were held on 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form government. At the time of going to press The NDA is ahead in 343 of the 542 seats, while the BJP lead has crossed 300. In 2014, the party won 282 seats, the NDA had won 336. It was the first time in more than three decades that a single party won majority on its own. BJP chief Amit Shah tweeted: "This victory is India's victory. This is the victory of the hopes of youths, the poor, and farmers. This massive win is the victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development and the people's trust in him. On the behalf of crores of BJP workers, I congratulate Narendra Modi." Among the states, the BJP made a clean sweep in Gujarat, Delhi and Rajasthan and is ahead in 38 of 40 seats in Bihar and 41 of 48 seats in Maharashtra. The party is also expected to win 28 of the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, it is marginally behind leading in nine of the state's 11 seats. In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress is set to come to power, decimating the ruling Telugu Desam Party of Chandrababu Naidu. It is ahead in 144 of the state's 175 assembly seats and in all 25 of its Lok Sabha seats.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai is India’s best institute overall says a ranking released by the Indian government. Seven of the top ten educational institutes in India are IITs. IIT Chennai beat the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore which had bagged the top spot last year. Delhi’s Miranda House has been ranked as the top college while IISc took the spot for top university. Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been ranked the second-best university in the country.
Humans can finally see something they’ve known about and read about but never ever seen-the mysterious thing called a ‘black hole’. For the first time in history, an image of a black hole has been captured in a photograph. So, 103 years after science suggested that black holes exist, we finally have a photo of one. It measures 40 billion kilometres across-three million times the size of the Earth-and has been described by scientists as "a monster". It is larger than our entire solar system. The black hole is 500 million trillion kilometres away and was photographed by a network of eight telescopes across the world.
As no light escapes from a black hole, how do you photograph it, as we can only see objects when they reflect light? So, what we are looking at in the image is the material surrounding the hole which is a ‘halo’ of gases falling into the black hole.
A black hole is what remains after a star, has burnt itself out. Once the star runs out of energy, it starts to collapse inwards due to the force of gravity. Gravity is the force that pulls us towards an object. For example, it is the gravity of the earth that keeps us on the planet’s surface. The gravitational pull of the dying star is so strong that it sucks everything into it-much like a whirlpool. The physicist Stephen Hawking was one of the first to explain that, at the centre of a black hole, gravity is so strong that the normal ideas of space and time, stop operating. Such an occurrence is called a singularity. The gravitational pull of the black hole is so strong that no light can escape from it, and all light is sucked in. Therefore in a singularity, so much matter is crushed into such a small space, that gravity becomes unimaginably great and the laws of physics (such as those relating to space and time) stop working.
Will the monsoon bring sufficient rain in 2019? That’s the question on the lips of weather forecasters as India enters the peak summer period. While the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which forecasts weather, says the monsoon will be normal, others say that India may get less rainfall than usual. The key factor is the El Nino, a weather phenomenon that is connected to the warming of the Pacific Ocean. While IMD believes the El Nino effect will wear off soon, private forecasters like Skymet say that El Nino will be strong enough in 2019 to cause a dip in rainfall. India gets 70% of its yearly rainfall from the south-west monsoon between June and September. A lot of farmers depend on this rain for their crops while we in cities depend on it to provide water for drinking and daily use.
Government of India has decided to commemorate 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji from November, 2018 at national as well as international level in a befitting manner. The Year long Celebration starting Novmber 23rd this year will include a number of commemorative as well as constructive activities will be taken up during the commemoration period. A number of religious activities like kirtan, katha, prabhat pheri, langar and educational activities such as seminars, workshops, lectures etc. will be organised. SGPC, Amritsar will be the knowledge partner of the Government of India. Commemorative coin and postage stamp will also be released.
Chairs in the name of Sh. Guru Nanak Dev Ji will be set up in UK and Canada. An international seminar will also be organised. A National Institute of Inter Faith Studies will be set up in Punjab. Doordarshan, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha TVs will live telecast programmes on Sh. Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Gurubani in different Indian and world languages will be published. Sultanpur Lodhi will be developed as a heritage city incorporating ‘Pind Babe Nanak Da’. A high powered telescope will be installed in Indian territory to view Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan. Sultanpur Lodhi railway station will be upgraded. A train will run passing through places associated with Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Outbreaks of measles in the United States (US), Ukraine and Israel are worrying health officials worldwide as the disease spreads easily through the air. Accompanied by fever, rashes and coughing, the disease could turn deadly if not treated properly. In the Ukraine alone, more than 30,000 people have been infected while this week, New York City in the US declared a public health emergency due to prolonged outbreak of the disease.
The outbreak of the disease in countries where it had been previously controlled is due to the fact that many people have stopped giving their children vaccinations against diseases. Vaccines are usually given to children and young people to make them immune to diseases like measles and typhoid. But a belief that vaccines are harmful made some people in these countries avoid vaccines for their children.
In New York, the city government has made vaccinations compulsory in several areas. In Europe, the Italian government has said that unvaccinated children would not be allowed to attend government schools. The problem is that in New York, people can be exempted from vaccination for religious reasons. The decision to vaccinate or not is not just a health issue in New York Instead, it has become a freedom of religion issue. This will have to be tackled before the health problem can be fixed.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is all set to begin on May 30 in England and the Indian team for the world’s most important One Day International (ODI) tournament has been chosen. Leading the team is Virat Kohli, who will be supported by Rohit Sharma who will be the Vice-captain. The team also includes former captain MS Dhoni who has been in great form during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Surprisingly, Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayadu have not been included in the squad. Pant in particular has been in good touch recently. Instead, the selectors picked Vijay Shankar whom they felt was an all-rounder, and could therefore contribute more to the team.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting for India with Virat Kohli and Vijay Shankar batting at the third and fourth positions. On the bowling front, India have Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami as fast bowling options. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are the specialist spinners while Ravindra Jadeja will also pitch in when needed. Hardik Pandya who bowls medium pace completes the bowling squad. Hosts England, along with India and Australia, are the favourites to win the World Cup. India has won the tournament twice-in 1983 and 2011. Australia have won the tournament the maximum number of times (five) while like India, the West Indies have won it twice. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won it once. This is the fifth time that the tournament is being held in England.
The format
The format is different from the 2015 edition.
• In the first round all ten teams will play each other once-so, each team will play 9 matches
• The top four teams will make it to the semi-finals
• The winners of the semi-finals will play the finals at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on July 14.
The Notre Dame church in Paris, one of the most important monuments in the French capital city, was damaged in a massive fire last week. The fire damaged many structures and objects inside the 850 year old building.
The building's spire and roof have collapsed but the main structure, including the two bell towers, has been saved. The cathedral was being renovated when the fire broke out.
The spire of the cathedral completely collapsed during the fire, finally falling through the roof. Luckily the inside of the Cathedral was made of stone, which protected it from the fire. Valuable pieces of art were quickly removed from the church as the fire spread. Within a day, the fire was completely put out. The French Government has promised to re-build the cathedral.
The Notre-Dame cathedral is one of the symbols of France. It has stood tall above Paris since the 1200s compared to the Eiffel Tower, which is just over 100 years old. It receives more than 13 million visitors each year, which is more than the Eiffel Tower.
The church features in one of France’s most famous books -Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The last time the cathedral suffered major damage was during the French Revolution. But it survived two world wars largely without damage.
Saturday, the 13th of April marked the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the incident that changed the path of Indian history. Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Amritsar, where the Bagh is located, to mark the anniversary, holding candles and the national flag.
A hundred years ago, British BrigadierGeneral Reginald Dyer opened fire on a group of Indians who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh which is located near Amritsar’s Golden Temple. The Indians had gathered to demonstrate against British rule in India and were unarmed and peaceful. That didn’t stop Dyer from ordering his soldiers to fire into the crowd. The firing ended only when the troops ran out of bullets-at the end, 379 lay dead and some 1,200 were wounded. The shocking incident caused Mahatma Gandhi to launch the Non-Co-operation Movement. It also angered Indians as a whole, motivating them to fight harder against the British. On the 100th anniversary of the incident, British Prime Minister Theresa May said that “the tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 is a shameful scar on British Indian history”, but she did not issue a formal apology. Over the years, many Indians have demanded a proper apology from the British Government but this is yet to come.
A comeback doesn’t get bigger than this. Eleven years after he last won a major tournament, golfer Tiger Woods swung his way to victory to lift the Augusta Masters, the biggest of all golf tournaments. This is the fifth time he has won the Masters.
At the start of the tournament, it didn’t seem likely that he would win. After all, it had been fourteen years since he last wore the Green Jacket. As recently as two years ago, Woods wasn’t even sure of playing the game for much longer. In the end, the win was dramatic, with Woods wining by one stroke even as his mother and kids cheered him on. The return of Tiger Woods to winning ways may not be important just to him but also to golf itself. Between 1997 and 2010, he utterly dominated the sport. In the early 2000s, he singlehandedly made the sport more and more popular. As his career slumped, so did the interest in the sport. With Woods now playing better than before, perhaps public interest in the game will also come back.
Will the United Kingdom (UK) leave the European Union (EU)? Or won’t it? Three years after the people of the UK voted to leave the EU, the country still hasn’t been able to finalise its exit from the EU.UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May has been scrambling to create an agreement for the exit that works for the UK as well as the EU but she hasn’t been successful so far. Time is running out as the deadline for the UK’s exit from the EU is looming.
The EU is a unified group of countries that have common rules for trade and finance (money management). Within the EU, people can move freely across borders without visas. Any product manufactured in one country can be sold in any other member country without tariffs or duties. Taxes are the same everywhere. Lawyers, bankers and doctors can operate in all member countries. In essence, the EU works like one giant country.
The UK is unhappy about the flow of refugees and immigrants from other countries. Wars and tough living conditions have brought millions of refugees from Africa and West Asia into the EU. The UK doesn’t like the idea of making room for them. Plus it feels that the EU imposes too many rules on member countries. These reasons made the people of the UK vote to exit the EU on June 23, 2016.
Untangling itself from the EU is no easy task. The island of Ireland poses one of the biggest problems. While Northern Ireland is part of the UK, the rest of Ireland is an independent nation that will stay on in the EU. If the UK leaves the EU, the line dividing the nation of Ireland from Northern Ireland will become an international border with all the checks and taxes that come along with such a border. The UK wants to avoid this but in return, the EU wants the UK to keep following some of the EU’s trade rules. But that is one of the reasons the UK wanted to leave the EU in the first place! See the problem?
The UK may now be given some more time to arrive at an agreement with the EU. But for now, no one knows how they are going to arrive at such an agreement!
NOT FOR NOTHING HAS IT BEEN SAID THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE “ORDINARY” AND “EXTRAORDINARY” IS THAT “EXTRA”. AND KOHLI SEEMS TO HAVE THAT
Daringly tough and fiercely talented, Virat Kohli is not just a role model for budding cricketers around the world, but has the deftness to be a game changer for Team India in the ICC World Cup 2019 to be held in Englnd, with his ability to give it back when it comes to settling scores on the field. A spunky, chubby teenager with gelled hair shot to fame after leading India to glory in the Under-19 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in early 2008. In an Indian team Virat Kohli, with his most un-Indian, 'bad-boy' intensity, would clearly be an outcast. Right from Day one of his first-class career, Kohli has made little secret of his intent to play cricket with aggression. His outbursts, first against Australia after scoring his maiden century in Perth, to the recent Sri Lanka Test series, have hit headlines and even earned praise from senior cricketers for trail-blazing a path for future cricketers.
We remember the accolades, but where did it all begin? There's always the one innings that made the world sit up and take notice; the 86-ball knock which he started off as a brash boy, but ended as a man. Chasing an improbable target of 321 off 40 overs to stay alive in the tournament, he laid into the Sri Lankan bowlers and carted his way to 133*, getting India home with more than 2 overs to spare, practically pulling them out of the airport after M.S. Dhoni rather ignorantly remarked that India had already been eliminated from the tournament. King Kohli had arrived. The king of the run-chase, and a plethora of ODI records in the modern age.
If his striking batting skills, teamed with self-assurance and aggression, attract today’s on-the-move generation, then it’s only a matter of time before he acquires the status of pacesetter in the world of cricket. He’s been hogging news for not just his on-field activities but also for all the off-field adventures, which have created an image of an angry young man of the new-age cricket generation. Kohli scored his 39th ODI century in the second match against Australia in Adelaide. His masterful 104, coupled with MS Dhoni's unbeaten 55, helped India chase down a target of 299 with four balls to spare. The visitors eventually won the three-match series 2-1 – the same scoreline with which they clinched the historic four-Test series that preceded it. While Kohli's 10,000 runs before turning 30 make a phenomenal achievement, he is still some way behind his idol and India great Sachin Tendulkar's all-time highest tally of 18,426 runs. The protégé has time to get there and given the way he has been scoring runs, it is possible that he will get there. It's a tough one, though.
Tendulkar was the first to get there, then Virender Sehwag. Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle have got there too, and Sharma now has three. But Kohli, for all his conversion prowess, hasn't quite made it to the doublecentury mark, perhaps because the men mentioned are/were all openers and he is not. Kohli's highest is the 183 he made against Pakistan in 2012. He has four scores above 150; his challenge now is to go on and get a double.
Early days
Kohli was not so expressive in his early days, however. It was December 2006, early in his first-class career, when he had to come and bat in the morning for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy tie against Karnataka, and he got a call at 3 am, informing him of his father Prem Kohli’s demise. Being an overnight batsman at the crease, he was in two minds — whether to play or not. After lying awake the entire night, he walked to the pitch with absolutely no emotion on his face. His innings of 90, was the most crucial for his team to save a follow-on.
He went straight to his dad’s funeral after that innings, and didn’t take part in the rest of the match. That particular innings under trying circumstances was enough to judge this 18-year-old’s mettle and mental strength.
Talk to his mother, and she will tell you how Kohli “changed” after that day: “Overnight, he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It’s as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looks like he is chasing his father’s dream, which is his own too.”
A voracious reader, Kohli read a lot during his early days but hardly gets time for his pet pastime now. He also invests in autobiographies of famous sportspersons. His favourite reads are Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open and that of Formula One racing legend Ayrton Senna, The life of Senna.
His reading enhanced his command over the language and his interaction with people around the world. As in words, what people don’t see is the absolute precision of his mind while choosing every shot and movement on the field.
“Deep down inside I was determined to become a successful international cricketer. I watched my idols win matches for India and I would imagine myself in the Indian jersey hitting the winning runs, Kohli says, adding how he would imagine himself there and think what he would do in that situation. “It’s all coming true now and it feels quite amazing when I sit and think about it. I always dreamt big and wanted to achieve big. That’s how you make your dreams come true,” is Kohli’s candid-speak.
He was once asked about his thoughts on his first international coach, Gary Kirsten’s words... “Like in life, in cricket too there are more bad days than good ones. So, if you can handle cricket, you can handle life”, Kohli hesitated little to admit, “to handle emotions of winning or losing is a big challenge and he’s right when he says that you have more bad days than good ones in cricket”.
For him, it’s a simple equation: When you don’t score runs, you get frustrated. That’s when you realise the difference between reality and the fairytale phase, when you were scoring runs continuously. It is difficult to accept that reality check. It comes with time and with experience.
Kohli realised it early on that “like in life, a batsman gets only one chance in an innings”.
“No matter how well you bat in the nets, you might still get out on the first ball in the match and you’ll be sitting outside and clapping for three days,” he says, talking about the crude reality that sometimes bites a cricketer.
Ready to adjust
Having reached heady professional heights so early on, Kohli needs to take a deep breath and find composure within. Instead of cursing the world for talking, he needs to sort out his personal life so that it doesn’t distract him from his professional duties. With many special innings adding a spark to his career, it’s easy to analyse that “it takes him the first dozen balls or so to realise how comfortable he is on that day.”
As he explains, “I analyse how well I’ve left the ball, how comfortable I was leaving the ones that were close to the stumps and how comfortable I was blocking the balls. If I can block the ball well when it is swinging, that’s when I know I am in my zone. When you fish and get beaten, you’re not sure where your offstump is and how much the ball is swinging.” This might just be the explanation to why Kohli’s success ratio is so high compared to great batsmen of all times.
Not surprising he has won praise from none other but Sir Vivian Richards recently for his on-field aggression and his batting skills. “Virat has the quality. He can give back as good as he gets. I like people who have the stomach for a good fight and Virat is one of them,” he said in a recent interview.
Pugnacious and daring, Kohli can adapt to new things well. But he was never so aggressive in his batting. When he was 16, he changed his batting technique a bit and started moving the feet inside the crease and began to shuffle.
His coach Raj Kumar Sharma says, “That brought a whole range to shots and completely changed his batting.” And “planning” is important for Kohli. On his own admission, “I go in there with plans — I am going to leave the balls pitched in a particular line, I am going to hit the ball only between two certain points in the field and not play a certain shot until I score a set number of runs.” He further explains how if something is pitched short at him, he goes for the runs since it is his scoring area. “And you need to focus on those plans throughout your innings for every ball you play, which is very difficult. If you don’t have a batting routine and a plan, it is very difficult to survive in international cricket,” he says.
Love life
Love brewed between India’s favourite cricketer, Virat Kohli and Btown diva, Anushka Sharma. The couple first met during an ad shoot in the year 2013, and it did not take too long for them to feel the sparks. However they well managed to keep all the details of their 2017 wedding hidden from the gossipmongers. After their fairy tale wedding in Italy, their personal and professional lives saw only ups. Recently, Virat, who is playing in the IPL for his team Royal Challengers, talked about his wife, and how she helps him switch off the stress. The cricketer was in conversation with AB de Villiers, and shared, “I think over the last more than a year or so, the best thing to have happened to me is me getting married. It's literally changed my whole world. I have the most beautiful wife, the most beautiful person.” He also went on to say, “That has been the most strong factor in my life to change the way I was. Before I was too intense in life and she (Anushka Sharma) always keeps me motivated, positive but at the same time we spend quality time with each other and totally get away from the game and that's the most important thing. I think I couldn't have been more lucky to have someone like that who can understand my mindset being in that position herself. I look forward to spending time with her and that's how I switch off.” Earlier Virat had said, “My wife has been keeping me motivated throughout, she deserves a lot of credit for this. She has been criticized a lot in the past, but she is one person who has kept me going throughout this tour and when times have been tough, and I am really grateful for that. When I met my wife I began to change. I came from a very different background from north India and I had no idea of what happens in any other sphere of society or anyone else’s life. So, her life was very different. It came with her own challenges & perspective on things.”
In an interview, Anushka had shared how busy her work life has become and had stated, “I have zero time to do anything other than working. The past three years, I’ve been shooting back-to-back and releasing movies. In the past couple of years, whatever work you’ve seen of mine, you can tell that there has been a range that I’ve tried to achieve. And it has been so consuming that I’ve not had time for anything else. So whatever time I get to unwind, I like to spend it with my family.” Anushka and Virat undoubtedly make a stunning couple together.
Spiritual side
His closest friends know that it’s not just the “aggression” their close buddy is known for. There is a spiritual side, too. “He talks to himself a lot. He plays shots in his mind before actually implementing on the field. Visualising is a big part of his game,” Kohli’s Delhi Ranji mates keep mentioning his mental strength.
Complacency is anathema to Kohli. “You can say that I am addicted to feeling good about winning matches for the team. And it’s a very bad addiction. That feeling of scoring runs and winning a game for your team is the best feeling in the world. I can’t explain it. It’s blissful.”
Indeed, the champions in life know the rules of the game and have a plan. Not for nothing has it been said that the difference between the “ordinary” and “extraordinary” is that “extra”. And Kohli seems to have that.
VIRATKOHLI BORN:
NOVEMBER 5, 1988
NICKNAME:
CHEEKU
BATTING STYLE:
RIGHT-HANDED
BOWLING STYLE:
RIGHT-ARM MEDIUMPACE BOWLER
PLACE IN TEAM:
CAPTAIN, INDIAN TEAM IN TEST CRICKET AND LIMITED-OVERS FORMAT; CAPTAIN, ROYAL CHALLENGERS, BANGALORE
HE RUNS THE VIRAT KOHLI FOUNDATION, AN NGO FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS.
DEEP DOWN INSIDE I WAS DETERMINED TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER. I WATCHED MY IDOLS WIN MATCHES FOR INDIA AND I WOULD IMAGINE MYSELF IN THE INDIAN JERSEY HITTING THE WINNING RUNS
YOU CAN SAY THAT I AM ADDICTED TO FEELING GOOD ABOUT WINNING MATCHES FOR THE TEAM. AND IT’S A VERY BAD ADDICTION. THAT FEELING OF SCORING RUNS AND WINNING A GAME FOR YOUR TEAM IS THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD
Virat Kohli is the fastest batsmen to cross the 10,000-run mark in ODIs.
Kohli became the fastest player to reach 9,000 runs and he achieved the feat in 194 innings.
With 36 centuries, Kohli is the second batsman with the highest number of ODI tons after Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli has the most number of centuries while chasing. He has scored 22 ODI centuries while Sachin Tendulkar stands second with 17.
Kohli has scored over 300 runs in a bilateral ODI series on six different occasions.
Kohli is the only player to have scored over 15,000 runs at an average of over 50 in international cricket.
Kohli is the first skipper to hit six ODI hundreds in a calendar year.
Kohli also became the only captain to score the most ODI runs in a year. The right-handed batsman scored 1,460 runs in 2017 and surpassed former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting's 1,424 runs in 2007.
Kohli holds the record for the most number of ODI tons as Indian captain.
Introduction
The security of nuclear and radiological materials has been a global concern since the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) there were a total of 2,889 incidents of theft and other unauthorised activities involving nuclear and radioactive material between 1993 and 2015. The nuclear infrastructure and assets include in addition to the nuclear power stations, materials, weapons and their delivery systems, technologies and the nuclear scientists who possess this highly specialised knowledge. The threat to nuclear facilities and materials increased greatly with many terrorist organisations and non-state players trying to acquire such material. India, a nuclear power, with sizeable nuclear infrastructure, technologies, and strategic assets faces serious challenges securing these assets from getting in to the wrong hands. This article will highlight the threats to India’s nuclear assets which are widely spread all over the country and how and what measures are in place to secure these assets.
The Nuclear Infrastructure and Assets
India presently operates twenty-two nuclear power stations, a number of nuclear fuel cycle facilities related to fuel reprocessing, mining & milling and fabrication and a few nuclear research & development establishments. Additionally, there are about sixty-thousand radiological facilities involving use of radiation-generating units or use of radioisotopes in the field of research, industry, medicine, and agriculture. The Indian civil nuclear facilities are spread over more than fifty odd locations and an unknown number of locations house the strategic and related assets of the India’s Strategic Forces. India also has a large pool of both civil and military oriented scientific manpower with highly specialised knowledge in nuclear sciences and technologies.
The Threats
India, like other nuclear powers, faces threats in the realm of nuclear security from terrorist organisations hostile towards India and operating out of its neighbouring country Pakistan. These organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-eMohammad (JeM), have declared interest in acquiring nuclear capabilities. The left wing Maoists, operating in large parts of central and eastern India and the militants in the Northeast and in the State of Jammu & Kashmir would always look for an opportunity to cause damage to nuclear installations. This combination of organisations poses a serious threat to the physical security of nuclear facilities and materials. The possibility of sabotaging these facilities with the help of insiders cannot be ruled out. The threat of nuclear terrorism, including detonation of a radiological dispersal device or an aerial attack on a nuclear facility, is a possibility.
Cyber-attacks are as much a threat to India's nuclear facilities as direct physical attacks. The use of cyber networks to attack a nuclear facility could render ineffective many current safety and security mechanisms. The kidnapping of nuclear scientists from the large pool of freely moving scientific manpower and forcing them to share their knowledge and expertise in making nuclear devices could be considered a possible threat. Attacks to steal material on the, not so well-regulated transportation systems used in transfer of nuclear material and equipment, cannot be ruled out. Threats during the disposal of nuclear and radiological materials at the end of their life cycles do exist.
The Readiness
Security Architecture: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) document of 2014, provides an insight into India's nuclear security approach driven by five key components: Governance; Nuclear Security Practice and Culture; Institutions; Technology; and International Cooperation. These components represent a good set of criteria for judging the state of safety and security of India's nuclear materials and facilities. The Indian nuclear security architecture is based mainly on five pillars: national legal provisions in consonance with IAEA guidelines; oversight agency that stipulates the standard operating procedures at the facilities and during transportation of material; the security and intelligence agencies in charge of threat assessment and physical protection; the human element, the personnel with the responsibility of oversight or observance; and surveillance and detection technology for detection, delay, and response approach.
Institutions: India has established various institutions to ensure the safety and security of facilities and materials across the country. These include the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Nuclear Controls and Planning Wing (NCPW) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) among others. While the AERB is primarily responsible for overseeing the civilian nuclear sector, the DAE and BARC also contribute on matters related to India's strategic nuclear programs. A new bill called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill is in the process of passage by the Indian parliament. The bill aims at constituting a Council of Nuclear Safety (CNS), under the leadership of the Prime Minister. When the bill is passed, the CNS will become the body which will oversee and review policies around radiation/ nuclear safety and security in India. The bill also includes a list of many offences which are punishable under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Physical Protection: The physical protection system around Indian nuclear facilities is designed on the basis of their nuclear threat assessment, taking into account the Design Basis Threat (DBT) and Beyond DBT (BDBT) to create a layered protective envelope – consisting of inbuilt reactor security, material security, perimeter security, personnel reliability, material protection and accounting, transportation security, air and water front defence, emergency preparedness, legal provisions, and in extreme situations, the military protection, etc. India has put in place a comprehensive material protection control and accounting programme comprised of three basic elements: the legislative and regulatory framework; an integrated physical protection programme for facilities and materials; and a comprehensive “Nuclear Material Accounting and Control System” (NUMAC). A Nuclear Control & Planning Wing (NC&PW) was created in the DAE to take “the lead on international cooperation on nuclear security” by integrating DAE’s safeguards, export controls, and nuclear security related activities.
Practices: India’s nuclear security measures are comparable to best practices globally. Two concepts that stand out in particular are the personnel reliability programme (PRP) and the 'Defence in Depth' principle applied in India's nuclear facilities. Stringent background checks undertaken as part of PRP are critical in mitigating the insider threat. The use of technology to minimise human element both to avoid possible errors as well as to deal with insider threats has been increased and the procedures during the disposal of nuclear and radiological materials at the end of their life cycles, have been made more stringent. Indian nuclear plants have also inculcated the principle of 'Defence in Depth' which includes a multi-layered system of security, thus strengthening physical protection systems and help delay in penetration and complement access control.
Transportation Security: Nuclear materials are transported with heavy security cover provided by multiple agencies. There are also coordinated patrolling by these different security agencies. Real-time tracking and monitoring technologies are used to ensure security of materials during transit, and standardised protocols are adhered to in order to ensure the security of materials that are being transported. Agencies also use other measures to ensure security.
Leveraging Technology: Technology enables India to achieve nuclear security in different ways. The first way is technological choices that reduce the risks of proliferation. For example, India uses a closed fuel cycle, which Indian nuclear scientists insist, carries less proliferation risks. Technology is also used to track materials in real time while in transit. Thermal cameras are also used to enable accurate video analytics. Sensors and access control barriers are also used to protect nuclear installations. These technologies are designed and developed indigenously by institutions such as the BARC. As technology rightly assumes an important role in securing the country's nuclear facilities, it must be noted that they also present new vulnerabilities because the same technology is available to everyone, including non-state actors and terrorist groups. In that sense, Indian security establishments need to do more to be in line with the global technology trends and be more innovative in developing indigenous technologies.
Cyber Security: is a crucial component in ensuring safety and security at nuclear facilities. The Indian nuclear establishment including the nuclear power plants are live to the threat of cyber vulnerabilities. In Indian civilian nuclear facilities, such threats are being addressed by the Computer Information and Security Advisory Group (CISAG). The CISAG is responsible for conducting audits of information systems, framing guidelines and plans to mitigate cyber-attacks and its effects. More importantly, there is an effort to instil a culture of cyber security. Thus, even as India's nuclear security establishment is alive to the threat posed by cyber technologies, there should be no room for laxity. Indian security agencies need to continuously monitor emerging nuclear security threats and come up with defensive measures. This is important since India has been one of the favourite targets of cyber hackers from around the world.
International Cooperation: As India attempts to integrate with the global nuclear community, cooperation is key, both with individual countries and multilateral organisations. This would entail more openness and transparency in India's nuclear security regime. A more controlled transparency approach and a more proactive engagement outlining India's broad strategy in the area of nuclear security has given multiple benefits for India.
Conclusion India has adopted very robust security measures to protect its nuclear facilities and materials from terrorist and anti-national elements who are waiting in the wings for a freak chance of callousness and negligence on part of the organisations and security agencies securing the nuclear assets. There is never enough and is always much more to be done in the realm of nuclear security in the present hostile global environment.
INDIA HAS ESTABLISHED VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF FACILITIES AND MATERIALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THESE INCLUDE THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC), THE DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY (DAE), ATOMIC ENERGY REGULATORY BOARD (AERB), NUCLEAR CONTROLS AND PLANNING WING (NCPW) AND THE BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE (BARC) AMONG OTHERS.
DRDO's anti-satellite missile (ASAT) shoots down LEO satellite, makes India a space power, said PM Narendra Modi in a televised address to the nation. Code-named “Mission Shakti", the entire process of downing the satellite—from the launch of a ballistic missile defence interceptor to the destruction of the target—took three minutes.
Executed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, marked India’s entry into the elite space superpower club comprising the US, Russia and China. India claims it has demonstrated the capability of destroying satellites in orbit by shooting one of its own satellites with a missile launched from Earth, the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, announced recently. “In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring utmost pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today,” he said in a broadcast to the nation on television, radio and social media.
The test seemingly proves that India has mastered what is known as anti-satellite, or ASAT, technology. But experts argue that such actions are concerning, as they can create hundreds to thousands of pieces of debris in space.
Though India acknowledged back in 2012 that it had the “building blocks” for ASAT technology, and it has since tested ballistic missiles that have that capability. However, this most recent test is the first time that India actually intercepted a satellite with one of its missiles. “India has today established itself as a global space power,” Modi said during an address about the test. “So far only three countries in the world — USA, Russia, and China — had this capability.”
“#MissionShakti was a highly complex one, conducted at extremely high speed with remarkable precision. It shows the remarkable dexterity of India’s outstanding scientists and the success of our space programme,” Mr. Modi said.
“Shooting down a low earth orbit satellite is a rare achievement for the country,” he said.
In August 2018, the DRDO had successfully tested its indigenously designed and manufactured advanced air defence interceptor missile. The missile had destroyed an incoming medium-range ballistic missile target amid many simulated decoy warheads, marking a major milestone in India's plans to develop an indigenously developed ballistic missile defence system.
'Space weapons' - which is essentially what an A-SAT is - first shot to fame as part the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed “Star Wars”, pioneered in the early 1980s by then US President Ronald Reagan.
Here is all we wanted to know about the mission:
I. What was the test?
1. On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex.This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit. The test was fully successful and achieved all parameters as per plans. The test required an extremely high degree of precision and technical capability.
2. The significance of the test is that India has tested and successfully demonstrated its capability to interdict and intercept a satellite in outer space based on complete indigenous technology.
3. With this test, India joins an exclusive group of space faring nations consisting of USA, Russia and China.
II. Which satellite was used?
The satellite used was an Indian satellite.
III. Which Missile/Interceptor was used?
The DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor was used, which is part of the ongoing ballistic missile defence programme.
IV. There are other ways to demonstrate ASAT capabilities such as "fly-by tests” and Jamming. Why has India used the particular technology of Kinetic Kill?
This is a technology where we have developed capability. Space technologies are constantly evolving. We have used the technology that is appropriate to achieve the objectives set out in this mission.
V. Does the test create space debris?
The test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. Whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks.
VI. Why did we do the test?
1. India has a long standing and rapidly growing space programme. It has expanded rapidly in the last five years. The Mangalyaan Mission to Mars was successfully launched. Thereafter, the government has sanctioned the Gaganyaan Mission which will take Indians to outer space.
2. India has undertaken 102 spacecraft missions consisting of communication satellites, earth observation satellites, experimental satellites, navigation satellites, apart from satellites meant for scientific research and exploration, academic studies and other small satellites. India’s space programme is a critical backbone of India’s security, economic and social infrastructure.
3. The test was done to verify that India has the capability to safeguard our space assets. It is the Government of India’s responsibility to defend the country’s interests in outer space.
VII. Why was the test done now?
The tests were done after we had acquired the required degree of confidence to ensure its success, and reflects the intention of the government to enhance India’s national security. India has seen an accelerated space development programme since 2014.
VIII. Is India entering into an arms race in outer space?
1. India has no intention of entering into an arms race in outer space. We have always maintained that space must be used only for peaceful purposes. We are against the weaponization of Outer Space and support international efforts to reinforce the safety and security of space based assets.
2. India believes that Outer space is the common heritage of humankind and it is the responsibility of all space-faring nations to preserve and promote the benefits flowing from advances made in space technology and its applications for all.
3. India is a party to all the major international treaties relating to Outer Space. India already implements a number of Transparency and Confidence Building Measures(TCBMs) – including registering space objects with the UN register, prelaunch notifications, measures in harmony with the UN Space Mitigation Guidelines, participation in Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination (IADC) activities with regard to space debris management, undertaking SOPA (Space Object Proximity Awareness and COLA (Collision Avoidance) Analysis and numerous international cooperation activities, including hosting the UN affiliated Centre for Space and Science Technology Education in Asia and Pacific. India has been participating in all sessions of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
4. India supported UNGA resolution 69/32 on No First Placement of Weapons on Outer Space. We see the No First Placement of weapons in outer space as only an interim step and not a substitute for concluding substantive legal measures to ensure the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which should continue to be a priority for the international community.
5. India supports the substantive consideration of the issue of Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the Conference on Disarmament where it has been on the agenda since 1982.
IX. What is the international law on weapons in outer space?
1. The principal international Treaty on space is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. India is a signatory to this treaty, and ratified it in 1982. The Outer Space Treaty prohibits only weapons of mass destruction in outer space, not ordinary weapons.
2. India expects to play a role in the future in the drafting of international law on prevention of an arms race in outer space including inter alia on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space in its capacity as a major space faring nation with proven space technology.
3. India is not in violation of any international law or Treaty to which it is a Party or any national obligation.
X. Is the test directed against any country?
1. The test is not directed against any country. India’s space capabilities do not threaten any country and nor are they directed against anyone.
2. At the same time, the government is committed to ensuring the country’s national security interests and is alert to threats from emerging technologies. The capability achieved through the AntiSatellite missile test provides credible deterrence against threats to our growing space-based assets from long range missiles, and proliferation in the types and numbers of missiles.
With urbanisation coming into forefront, there is a greater need to look into the connectedness between humans and environment. Based on United Nations Dept of Economic and Social Affairs report and stidies by NASA, let us have a look at the case of Gurugram city which has grown appropriating resource from its periphery.
Today 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Projections show that urbanization, the gradual shift in residence of the human population from rural to urban areas, combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa, according to a new United Nations data set launched today.
The 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects produced by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) notes that future increases in the size of the world’s urban population are expected to be highly concentrated in just a few countries. Together, India, China and Nigeria will account for 35% of the projected growth of the world’s urban population between 2018 and 2050. By 2050, it is projected that India will have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million.
The urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Asia, despite its relatively lower level of urbanization, is home to 54% of the world’s urban population, followed by Europe and Africa with 13% each.
Today, the most urbanized regions include Northern America (with 82% of its population living in urban areas in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). The level of urbanization in Asia is now approximating 50%. In contrast, Africa remains mostly rural, with 43% of its population living in urban areas.
Population decline in some cities and in rural areas
Some cities have experienced population decline in recent years. Most of these are located in the low-fertility countries of Asia and Europe where overall population sizes are stagnant or declining. Economic contraction and natural disasters have also contributed to population losses in some cities. The rural population of the world has grown slowly since 1950 and is expected to reach its peak in a few years. The global rural population is now close to 3.4 billion and is expected to rise slightly and then decline to 3.1 billion by 2050. Africa and Asia are home to nearly 90% of the world’s rural population in 2018. India has the largest rural population (893 million), followed by China (578 million).
Cities ranking and mega cities
Tokyo is the world’s largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million, Shanghai with 26 million, and Mexico City and São Paulo, each with around 22 million inhabitants. Today, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. By 2020, Tokyo’s population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028.
By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastestgrowing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa. While one in eight people live in 33 megacities worldwide, close to half of the world’s urban dwellers reside in much smaller settlements with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants.
Sustainable urbanization is key to successful development
Understanding the key trends in urbanization likely to unfold over the coming years is crucial to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including efforts to forge a new framework of urban development.
As the world continues to urbanize, sustainable development depends increasingly on the successful management of urban growth, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where the pace of urbanization is projected to be the fastest. Many countries will face challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including for housing, transportation, energy systems and other infrastructure, as well as for employment and basic services such as education and health care. Integrated policies to improve the lives of both urban and rural dwellers are needed, while strengthening the linkages between urban and rural areas, building on their existing economic, social and environmental ties.
To ensure that the benefits of urbanization are fully shared and inclusive, policies to manage urban growth need to ensure access to infrastructure and social services for all, focusing on the needs of the urban poor and other vulnerable groups for housing, education, health care, decent work and a safe environment.
According to a study by NASA, the capital of India, New Delhi, has been experiencing one of the fastest urban expansions in the world. Vast areas of croplands and grasslands are being turned into streets, buildings, and parking lots, attracting an unprecedented amount of new residents. By 2050, the United Nations projects India will add 400 million urban dwellers, which would be the largest urban migration in the world for the thirty-two year period.
Most of the expansion in Delhi has occurred on the peripheries of New Delhi, as rural areas have become more urban. The geographic size of Delhi has almost doubled from 1991 to 2011, with the number of urban households doubling while the number of rural houses declined by half. Cities outside of Delhi—Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, and Gurugram—have also experienced urban growth over the past three decades, as shown in these images.
With a flourishing service economy, Delhi is a draw for migrants because it has one of India’s highest per capita incomes. According to the latest census data, most people move into the city for work. The Times of India reported that the nation’s capital grew by nearly 1,000 people each day in 2016, of which 300 moved into the city. By 2028, New Delhi is expected to surpass Tokyo as the most populous city in the world.
The increased urbanization has had several consequences. One is that the temperatures of the urban areas are often hotter than surrounding vegetated areas. Manmade structures absorb the heat and then radiate that into the air at night, increasing the local temperature (the urban heat island effect). Research has shown that densely built parts of Delhi can be 7°C (45°F) to 9°C (48°F) warmer in the wintertime than undeveloped regions.
Additionally, sprawling cities can have several environmental consequences, such as increasing traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. From 2005 to 2014, NASA scientists have observed an increase in air pollution in India due to the country’s fast-growing economies and expanding industry.
India is one of many countries with fastgrowing cities. By 2050, China is projected to add 250 million people in its urban areas, and Nigeria may add 190 million urban dwellers. In total, India, China and Nigeria are expected to account for 35 percent of the world’s urban population growth between 2018 and 2050.
MBD GROUP ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE CHOCOLATE BOX AND LOUNGE AT MBD NEOPOLIS LUDHIANA
Multiple awards winning food and beverage brand, The Chocolate Box and Lounge announces its foray into malls with Ludhiana’s landmark shopping destination MBD Neopolis.
For over 15 years, The Chocolate Box and Lounge, often called TCB, has been operating out of five star hotels owned and operated by MBD Group and has been acclaimed as one of the most innovative brands of the MBD Group.
TCB is well known for its gastronomical innovations, unparalleled selection, fantastic traditional dishes with modern and ‘playful’ touches .TCB has an aggressive growth plan for the next five years which includes expanding footprint of 100 lounges across India at premium high street destinations and luxury malls in gateway cities and state capitals.
The Chocolate Box and Lounge is the ideal place to spend quality time in the company of fine foods and great conversations. This bears testimony to the fact that in the last 15 years this brand has been bestowed with multiple prestigious awards such as Times Food Guide and Nightlife awards and HT Hall of Fame. Aligned with the ever-changing consumer behaviour, TCB offers signature snacks including wraps, burgers, chit chat combos, sandwiches, salads, shakes, macaroons, chocolates, designer cakes and much more in an extensive menu created with freshest seasonal produce.
Heaven for a chocoholic, TCB is dedicated to bringing the ultimate chocolate experience with delicately crafted chocolates bursting with quality and the finest ingredients. Colourful range of macarons exceeds consumer expectations and creates wonderful moments. Moreover, it has an endless display of designer cakes for making that special occasion memorable.
The effectively priced delicious and healthy menu has flavour-filled salad recipes that will change your thought of salad from a diet fare to an enjoyable meal option. Healthconscious guests can also choose from nutrient-packed healthy smoothies with protein, fiber and healthy fats. With an appeal to local tastes, GOCAL sandwiches and wraps present a fantastic and versatile option like Achaari Aloo Tikki Burger, Seek kebab Sandwich in Jeera bread and so on.
Perfect for a quick bite, TCB also presents Chit Chat combos especially with gur pare, namak pare and cutting chai when you're not feeling hungry.
The know-how and resourcefulness of The Chocolate Box and Lounge combined with the charm of MBD Neopolis stands out from the crowd of cafes and pastry shops that exist not only in Ludhiana but also in the entire country. This astonishingly ornate design of TCB at the Neopolis mall atrium on the ground floor is a visual delight for the eyes with a friendly vibe. Elegant counters, the alluring aroma of food, attention to detail and free Wi-Fi zone combine to bring you an indulgent experience. Another interesting offering at The Chocolate Box and Lounge will be the “Community Table", the most popular French dining seating style for an improved social experience.
“We would like to offer our gratitude for your support towards making MBD a name to reckon in offering food and beverage brands in the country. MBD is well acclaimed for its innovative food and overall experiences through fine dining and casual dining restaurants. Taking a step further, we have introduced The Chocolate Box and Lounge in this iconic mall in one of its kind format and therefore, we are excited about this unique ideation of TCB offering signature items in new avatar for city’s food buffs, explains Mrs Satish Bala Malhotra, Chairperson MBD Group.
“We have designed this modern and luxurious open café, The Chocolate Box and Lounge,” tells Ms. Monica Malhotra Kandhari, MD of MBD Group, “given the kind of elegant and luxurious experience TCB targets to achieve, we have tried to get French decorative scheme to make its appearance modern and eclectic. Multiple luxurious elements like designer art consoles, floral motifs in carved metal and European style valances have been added for unquestionably distinctive ambience. Moreover, the bespoke lighting in carved art form enhances the overall ambience of the place. And still providing privacy with the unique metal arches, wooden flooring and generous touch of gold, all underpinned by a zesty menu making it stand out among cafes around not only in Ludhiana but also India at large.”
In the words of Ms. Sonica Malhotra, JMD of MBD Group, “It’s the dedication that has made TCB standout in the bouquet of successful food and beverage brands of MBD Group for many years. This newest outlet of The Chocolate Box and Lounge in Ludhiana in MBD Neopolis is the latest iteration on international format with competitive pricing strategy. We could foresee a huge growth in such restaurant concepts and it’s our first step in this direction. We are looking at fast paced expansion of TCB Lounges across high streets and luxury malls, aiming to touch 100 numbers in next 5 years pan India.”
About MBD NEOPOLIS
The retail and entertainment destination MBD NEOPOLIS is the first truly mixed use development by MBD Group in Ludhiana, the commercial capital of Punjab. It is scientifically planned in line with International formats and is the first development in Punjab that has a combination of a city’s first 5 star deluxe hotel, luxury and premium retail and entertainment including multiplexes and multilevel car parks. A similar development with mall and multiplex under the brand MBD Neopolis is situated in Jalandhar, Punjab, with premium and luxury retail brands.
About MBD GROUP
One of the leading education companies in India with over six decades of experience, since 1956, MBD Group-guided by the futuristic vision of their Founder, Shri Ashok Kumar Malhotra has diversified into various industries including E-Learning, Stationery, M-Learning, Skill Development, Capacity Building Programmes, Eco-Friendly Notebooks, Paper Manufacturing, ICT Infrastructure, Hospitality, Real Estate, Mall Development and Management. The Group has presence in various countries including the UK, Middle East, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
About MBD HOSPITALITY
Having more than 18 years of experience in Hospitality sector, all the hotels managed by MBD Group have won numerous awards in various categories, be it for the best hotel or the best rated restaurants.
The winner of World Luxury Award Radisson BLU MBD Hotel Noida, has redefined luxury and comfort by exceeding the expectations of those looking to indulge themselves in an effortless, regal and opulent stay experience. Ranked as Asia Pacific’s Best Performing Franchised Hotel of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group with the highest guest scores, the hotel is perfectly located in Sector 18 for access to entertainment and shopping options.
Radisson BLU Hotel MBD Ludhiana is the second venture of the MBD Group is the first 5 star deluxe hotel in the region. The hotel exudes seclusion, luxury and comfort and stands apart for its wonderfully detailed MBD Privé Collection with stylish interiors. Its largest banqueting space and awardwinning dining concepts and have evolved to deliver one of the finest experiences.
MBD Steigenberger promises hospitality made in Germany and delivered in India. With over 55 captivating locations around the globe, Deutsche Hospitality-the largest German chain of hotels and resorts-stands for elegance and impeccable hospitality. This JV presents German precision tailor-made for Indian guests while ensuring outstanding global standards and a luxurious environment aims to open at least 20 hotels in India over the next 15 years. The flagship hotel under the JV-Zephyr is an MBD Steigenberger Hotel located in the heart of Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Aiming to tap into the remarkable increase in demand for quality accommodation in budget hotel segment the MBD Group has launched MBD Express that ensures impeccable standards to enjoy an active break, cultural offerings or discovering a new destination with family at minimum price.